29/06/2020
The textile industry is one of the most polluting in the world: it produces 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases a year, more than international air and sea transport combined (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017). This sector also has enormous impacts on water consumption: just think that to produce a single t-shirt it takes about 3,900 liters, how much a person drinks on average in 5 years (Friends of the Earth 2015). According to data from the Clean Clothes Campaign, an Italian coalition of the Clean Clothes Campaign, it is estimated that 60 million workers feed the global apparel industry, generating billions in profits. Most work an inhumane number of hours and do more than one job to make ends meet. About 80% of this workforce is made up of women and does not receive a decent income.
The impact of the pandemic
Today, thanks to the pandemic that has hit the planet, this industry is facing an unprecedented economic and social crisis and the millions of workers employed in the sector are paying the highest price. The coronavirus has made the limits of a global system founded on inequalities even more evident, which cancels protections and exposes everyone to an uncertain future. Brands have made the apparel industry lose billions of dollars by canceling orders unduly and causing many factories to go bankrupt, with devastating consequences for workers. By refusing to pay prices that allow workers to earn a living wage, client brands leave the people who make their clothes without any means of support. Millions of workers live at risk of housing and subsistence precariousness and many factories are in economic collapse.
The campaign and the #CambiaMODA community!
For this reason Istituto Oikos, Mani Tese and Fair launch the new #CambiaMODA platform! (www.cambiamoda.it): the ambitious goal is to help change the fashion system in Italy.
In the strong belief that a community has more strength and more power than the individual, the invitation is addressed above all to young people. To encourage them to join the initiative and clamor for: adequate social safety nets for workers in the sector affected by the current crisis; effective health and safety measures and fair working conditions for all; a drastic reduction of waste, pollution and CO2 emissions by major brands; truth and transparency about how the clothes we buy are produced.
How to join
Become part of the #CambiaMODA community! it’s very simple: just register on the website www.cambiamoda.it. There are many ways to contribute: from a simple action on social networks to a more active participation in the events and initiatives promoted as part of the awareness campaign, to the choice of joining the team of ambassadors who have already decided to embrace the cause. Among these, many people who have made their passion for fashion and lifestyle their work, such as fashion design blogger Marinella Rauso, youtuber Sofia Viscardi, travel blogger Francesca Barbieri.
A decisive change of course, which favors transparent, responsible and fair supply chains, is therefore extremely urgent: to protect the environment, health and rights of all the people involved in the supply chain, in Italy and around the world.
For more info: www.cambiamoda.it – info@cambiamoda.it
Media kit for the press available at this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CdSwdJ3WfcopS5JpRVV8cpNoUlsEqX6z
The Change FASHION community! is part of an educational and awareness-raising project promoted in Italy by a network of 7 partners (Mani Tese, Istituto Oikos, Fair, Altis – Alta Scuola Impresa e Società, Koinètica, Lottozero, Guardavanti) and funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The initiative also includes training courses for teachers and students, public information and awareness events, workshops aimed at business operators.
